Abigail Fleming, daughter of Hecate
by Liberivore
Summary: A new demigod discovers her origins and her powers. For better and for worse. Especially when your mother has three faces and morbid habits. Especially when you aren't a demigod but a witch. Especially when the life of your family depends on you being able to fight the monsters you have attracted to your home. Especially. Set between Lost Hero and SoN, personal quest from new chara
1. Chapter 1

**Before I start: this is a story I wrote about a year ago and that I edited since to accommodate for FanFiction, to know where I can improve my writing. I of course do not own the rights from Percy Jackson and the Olympians, property of Rick Riordan bla, bla, bla. Please comment.**

Trouble came to me like any respectable visitor. He knocked on the front door and apologized for calling at such a late hour and introduced himself. He even wiped his hooves on the doormat. Yes, hooves. When Bark the satyr walked in my door, my world turned upside down. At first I didn't notice the hooves, the Mist took care of that, but I could tell something was wrong from the way he walked. And maybe I knew even then. Why else did I listen at the door when he went in to the office to talk to my father? I'd crept up the stairs in time to hear the end of their conversation.

-I knew she was a witch but you say she's a _goddess_. That seems hard to swallow." I heard my father's calm voice say.

-She's not the only one." Answered the younger voice of the visitor, "The gods still live and still have their enemies. Your child is a half god and so is a target to creatures I won't even name. Now what is most important is that she doesn't know; this whole town reeks of soot and monsters."

-I don't think I understand." My father said, a tone of menace creeping into his voice.

-If she realizes what she is, her aura, her power if you wish, will manifest itself. It will act like a flare to friend or foe for miles around. It is already starting to show, I noticed it by chance. Now, I know somewhere safe, a camp. It's a bit far but we can tell her when she gets there and train her to use her skills. Incidentally, do you know the true identity of her mother? It can help."

-And why did she not tell me of these problems, this camp herself before she left seven years ago?" Dad erupted, without warning. It was a habit. One second he's a nice advanced literary teacher, the next he's a volcano, bitter for having being abandoned. "Why is she sending some school-age runt instead? Where is- what was that?" I imagined his head snapping towards the door, ready to tell me off for eavesdropping. But then I realized it wasn't me. Somewhere downstairs, a window had smashed. And instinctively, I knew that had been telling the truth. I was child of a goddess and monsters were after. Retrospectively, I think it should have surprised me more. But I had always felt as if there was something more, something hidden in me and in the world. Ever feel that your life is too small for you? If so don't think about it too much, you never know what might come knocking at your door. And I suppose that mortal danger puts surprise out of mind. My father opened the door in a rush, the goat boy trailing behind him. Already the Mist was fainter, I couldn't see past it, but I knew it was there, knew where it was. My father saw me crouched in the corner but he didn't seem to care. My little brother (my dad's favorite) was downstairs. He rushed down ready to fight the world. Bark picked me off the floor and brought me downstairs, a grim look on his face. Downstairs was a mess and a horror. Five or so humanoid figures had invaded the sitting room. They seemed to be cut out from dark smoke and their eyes and torso glowered like menacing embers. The lights went out and they seemed to blend into the night, smudges in the dark. Whatever they touched blackened or took fire from the wallpaper to the floor, from the branch Bark hit them with to the books my father threw at them. My brother had fainted at their feet, his clothes singing. I thought I saw handprints burned into his chest. I'd like to say I courageously threw myself into the fray to protect my family but I didn't. I wasn't stupid enough to believe I could win without help. I ran out to the kitchen at the back of the house, and, in a daze gathered what I would need. Like a sleepwalker, I grab the half empty bottle of milk and added water from the tap. I whipped the flour out of the cupboard and took from the fridge a bottle of red dad had bought at the supermarket. Why was I doing this? I ran out of the back hoping they would ignore the others to follow me, hoping they wouldn't. I ran out on to the road without looking and kept going until the junction. A crossroad. As if I done it my whole life and knew what I was doing, I drew the inscriptions on the ground, poured everything on to the dirt and then added some of my blood even as the dogs started howling. It was a mournful cry that had echoed across the town, a cry designed eons ago to terrify, so that no mortal witness what was to happen. It didn't stop them. I didn't know what had kept them but they all knew where I was now and I was a target. They ran towards me, some with a head start, charging at me, others trailing behind cautiously. I counted six. The first two stepped on the circle and disappeared, their energy used to open the gate. The ground turned black separating me from my pursuers. They were wary of what looked like a dark pit into which two of its brothers had disappeared. It came out of the ground slowly, first a paw probing, then the goat head, then the lion head, then the body and last, the serpent glued to its backside. The Chimera looked around for a moment and then pounced, destroying the closest of the bizarre creatures of smog and sparks. When it had ripped them all apart and determined that they were not edible, it tried to reach me in two long bounds, but it made the mistake of stepping on the circle once again. It fell through as if nothing was there and was gone. The darkness faded, I could see the ground beneath it again. I squinted through tears to make sure it was gone for good. Somewhere in the distance I heard the siren of the fire engine as it rushed to put out the fires that raged around my house.

**First Chapter is a bit too short as it was added after. Originally, the story started in Camp Half-Blood and we learned Abigail's past in a nutshell. Keep going, I've got more! **


	2. Chap 2: Day-nightmaring

**Wow, you actually kept going! Sorry, I'll stop the jokes and let you read.**

I knew I should be paying attention, that what Lou Ellen was saying would probably influence my life expectancy but I couldn't. I'm not dyslexic but I have ADHD. Half of my brain was trying to work out what was on the vast shelves behind Lou Ellen, half was Somnus-knows-where and the other half still hadn't switched back to normal since THE night of killer doomsday as I now referred to it. My math teacher would have said I was "dissipated" but it was more than that. I was jumpy and guilty at having gone off to camp without even a goodbye. The walls of the Hecate cabin were lined with jars with labels only Lou Ellen, the cabin counselor and my new mentor, could understand. Next to a large blue jar labeled "powdered monster", a bottle of golden liquid labeled "Typhon ichor; river Hudson" glowed slightly. So far so good but the shelf underneath made no sense whatsoever. "Nshade" didn't mean anything to me and I suppose "Friar Lawrence" makes more sense than the helpfully labeled bottle of "Stuff". The volatile ingredients shelf just had things like "Dangerous", "Boom" or skulls drawn on otherwise blank tags. Dangerous like the Chimera that had _nearly_ bitten her head off. The memory was so vivid, I could almost imagine being back there that night, one month ago. My father had been knocked out but was unharmed, Bark's shoes and pants had burnt but he had claimed to be fine, and the fire that had nearly burnt the house had left permanent marks on Dee. My little brother hadn't seen them for what they were and Dad had listened to Bark and not told Dee the truth.

-Abigail Fleming! What did I just say?" Lou Ellen barked, finally noticing that I was day-dreaming, day-nightmaring, whatever.

-Um, that the children of Hecate aren't front-line fighters because most potions take to time to prepare and must be made at night.

-However…" she prompted.

-Er, however, um, we are just as powerful as our potions can mimic any demigod power.

-Correct. And our two other domains, apart from potion are…?" Ever had the impression that a teacher will keep asking questions until you get one wrong?

-Mind-control which can go through charm-speak or eye-contact." I had mastered eye hypnotism but would never be capable of charm-speak; either you had it or you didn't. Totally unfair because people might listen to you but no one would stare into your eyes for the five seconds necessary to force their attention onto them. Lou Ellen assured me that eye-contact allowed far greater access to the victim's mind but it didn't stop me getting tricked by that girl in the Aphrodite cabin. I had a "Drew rules" written in lipstick on my forehead for two hours.

-And the last of our powers is…?" I stayed silent. I didn't want to say it.

"Summoning, whispered Lou Ellen , allows us to call upon any entity willing to answer the call. Hecate is goddess of magic, crossroads, and the goddess with three faces, followed by the hounds of the night. We, her children and servants, need only kitchen ingredients, a source of energy, maybe a piece of what you're summoning and a moonlit crossroad to unleash chaos far above us."

-Like the keres, Eris, Nyx, Echidna and many others who come only in the hope of killing us." When would she get that I didn't want to be a witch?

-Yes, of course, but I'd be careful summoning Nyx or her children. Circles of containment aren't foolproof. We'll practice on Herakles, Somnus's children, or some of the nicer star constellations. But seen as you're so enthusiastic all of a sudden, we can move to a bit of practical work. Do you have any potions you're interested in making?" The moment of truth.

-Well, there's one I had in mind but you'll probably just…you know…"

-I knew it! she answered triumphantly, Ha! Don't worry I'll keep it secret but actually I've wanted to make this one for a long time, you know, see if I could." Lou Ellen was actually very immature except when it came to witchcraft and Shakespeare. "To make a potion, you mix chaos and order, ichor and monster essence and then direct the power to do your bidding. You can use certain herbs or a divine object, which is even better. We'll have to steal it from the attic, it's a pink scarf that belonged to Aphrodite-"

-What? Wait, what are you talking about?"

-A love potion, you dummy! Isn't that what you want?" Lou Ellen answered while taking down a pot labeled "Midsummer Night's Dream" from the tall shelf.

-Look, you know what Leo can do?" I'd arrived barely two weeks after Leo, so he understood my situation better than most. I suppose I can call him a friend. "Could you make me immune to fire?" Lou Ellen took a deep breath before answering.

-You want to go after the monster that hurt your little brother don't you?" Of course I do. I can't sleep knowing that my family and friends live in a village that is monster hunting ground. I just nod.

-To do that you need a quest from Chiron. If Percy was here maybe, but now…" There it was again. Percy here, Percy there. I'd never met the guy but I couldn't see how he could be stronger than Jason and manage to get kidnapped. What annoyed me most was that everyone acted as if he'd walked on water or something. When I'd told that to Bark, he mumbled that he had. Literally. Lou Ellen was worse than most. She almost worshipped him because he'd given the minor gods cabins, as if that was a good thing. If he hadn't, Bark wouldn't have come for me, I wouldn't know I was an alien freak and I would have lived my life normally. Unaware that a big monster lived in the hills. A mixed blessing, I suppose.

"Out of question! We fight monsters because they fight us. We do _not_ take risks hunting down monsters in their lairs where they have the tactical advantage. I refuse to grant you permission for a suicide mission that gains nothing." I'm being told off by a centaur in the Big House of a demigod camp while the god of wine is listening to music on the floor above and a stuffed leopard head sleeps on the far wall. Nothing's wrong, everything is normal. Just goes to show, you can get used to anything, even Greek mythology.

-Lou Ellen's been on loads of quests." I countered (pouted, same difference). Taio Cruz barks stuff about drinking from the floor above.

-Minor missions not even worth asking the Oracle about. Looking for mushrooms in some far-fetched forest or taking the plane to get to Hudson River is hardly comparable to tackling Cacus on your own. Let me give you an idea. We are talking about a half-beast capable of spitting fire and who nails human heads to his door. What you saw were only his minions and he can create many more." His eyes went into "sad mode". "When Hercules fought him, the locals described it like a volcano erupting. Cacus is dangerous."

-It's because he's dangerous and eats people that I can't let him attack Dee or-or-" I paused, my voice choking on emotion. "I've been here for a month now! When will you let me go?"

-I got a hangover wo-oh, I've been drinking too much for shoho, got an empty cup, pour me some moho-oh…" complains the stereo. Seymour snores despite the din.

-No one is holding you here. On the contrary, it is time you went back to school. Spring break is over now you know. And lastly, because Lou Ellen had Hecate's blessing to go. She gave her a magical item allowing her to locate things. Useful to find ingredients. You have nothing of the-"

A black ring materialized on my left hand, a purple flower in my right. Despite what Chiron says I did not yelp. Only little. The ring was entirely black and an obsidian X sat atop the dark band. I heard a voice, no, make that three voices, speaking simultaneously : _Summon Prissi the empousa tonight. She will explain. Then make a choice and let none other make it for you._ Seymour growled nervously woken by the unnatural god's command.

-I suppose that settles it." Sighed Chiron. His eyes played the funeral march so loud, no amount of trash music could drown out what was in his eyes.

"I told you we should have taken a flashlight. We can't see a thing!" I complained as we trekked in the light of the flickering lantern flame.

-We can see fine! Shut up! The crossroad isn't far anyway.", snapped Lou Ellen.

-Yeah but it's spooky." My knees were shaking. Summoning scared me far more than any monstrosity in Cacus's cave.

-That's the point. It's cooler like that." It would have been too much to hope she understands. "Look, I'd like you to take something I bought long ago. It's the breath with which Zephyr made a promise. Gathering one from each of the four wind gods makes a flask. A lot cooler but I'm not likely to get them. So you can take this but be careful : it only blows west and I want it back if you don't use it." I was wondering how she was going to give me a breath when she took out a tiny ceramic jar smaller than my palm, sealed with wax and covered in wind motifs. I didn't really know how to thank her after all the times I'd complained about her behind her back.

Too early and after an eternity, we reached the crossroad, where Lou Ellen started teaching me how to scratch the lines in the hard soil. I poured the powdered monster in the center and nearly had a heart attack when the Lou Ellen started chanting.

"Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard leg and howlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble." Seeing the look on my face she stopped to explain. "When there are no dogs in the area to eat the offering and scare the mortals so we need to chant. The words themselves don't actually matter but the Scottish Play seems appropriate." The Scottish Play? Was that some Gothic song? "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." She continued. After a few more lines, the offering slipped into the ground and a beautiful girl in school uniform swam out of the rippling surface of ground. Chiron had warned me about empousa. My half-sister had a metal leg, a donkey leg, fangs and a pronounced taste for blood. I figured evil ran in the family. She clambered out, dusted down her wide jeans and smiled, just enough to reveal long canines.

-Hello sisters. Mother asked me to help. You must be Abigail and you Lou Ellen. I'm sure we'll get along well. Mmh?"

-You had braces." I regretted saying it instantly but, in my defense, she'd taken me by surprise. I had been expecting some evil killer but she looked so _normal_. She scowled and answered:

-Well, I'm allowed aren't I? My teeth are nice and straight now. Anyway it doesn't matter, just show me the gifts from mother." I dutifully took out the flower and showed her the ring. "You asked to be immune to fire. We could just have given you some of Medea's sunscreen SPF fifty thousand which makes you immune to fire and metal but it will be good for you to make it yourself. You have in your hands the key ingredient: a flower born from Prometheus's pain. As for the ring, it will create a small bubble of twilight allowing you to summon without going to a crossroad or even waiting until nightfall. It's essential: Cacus is unable to stand the light of day; you must strike when he is trapped within his lair. Use it well as there is a limited amount of energy and mother choses what you summon. No bothering about drawing lines but you won't know what will come out of it. Let me show." And with that, she took my right thumb and pressed it onto the ring. Everything went dark (well, darker), there was a flash of teeth and a collar I'd seen before at camp: Mrs O'Leary.

**Also, the powers are inspired from Greek mythology, mostly from **_The Argonautica_ **in which Medea's powers are described in detail (big difference by the way with Roman witches especially in **_The Golden Donkey_)**. The summoning scene is a rip-off from **_**Argonautica**_** in which Medea summons something (no idea what) to help her make Jason's potion in Hecate's temple. I however adapted the other powers to correspond to Rick Riordan's witches, namely hypnotism. **

**I was studying Macbeth when I wrote this, it overspilled into my writing. Ah well. Who caught the references to Percy Jackson and Shakespeare on Lou Ellen's shelves? **

**Plus, Taio Cruz's song was just out when I wrote this and he found a way in too. Kind of appropriate for the wine god.**


	3. Chap 3: A stop home

**Very short chapter here before the showdown.**

When I could see again I was in the outskirts of Evander Town, West Texas. In other words, home again. Except it was the middle of the night. It was a warm spring but it was pretty chilly. I could see the outlines of the Rocky Mountains on the horizon, but the cattle farms opposite were invisible. Prissi was leaning against a lamppost but there was no sign of monster dog. Prissi was a stupid name for a demon, I decided. The jewel on my hand was only a black band but as I stared at it a bud appeared and blossomed into the same crossroad insignia as before.

"I love shadow travel. Odd though that the hellhound brought us here without us having to hypnotize it." She said breezily. I didn't bother explaining to her. Shadow-travel had terrified me. Imagine having the sensation of falling without being able to see the bottom or even anything. When my heart had settled to an about normal rate, I answered shakily "We're nearly at my house."

-Well then why don't you go home, make your potion and get ready to fight. Eat, sleep, whatever."

-And you?"

-I'll come back once I've found something to eat." I didn't ask what that meant.

I knocked on the door feeling guilty and anxious: I'd sent a text home when I'd arrived at camp to say I was all right and nothing since. I had no idea how my family would react to my unannounced return after a month's silence. The peephole darkened as someone looked through it, wondering who was calling at this ungodly hour. A second later, Dee ripped the door open and nearly knocked me over in a hug. It struck me, maybe after not having seen him for a month, that he was nearly as tall as me even though he was more than two years my junior.

"You're-back-from-hospital-why-didn't-you-call-you-nearly-missed-my-thirteenth-birthday-how's-your-leg?" He said without taking breath. I noticed bandages visible under his pajama sleeves.

"Um, what? Oh, yeah, it's your birthday in uh-"

"In five days, sheesh, just cos' you're not at school, you lose track of the date. How was it in hospital? I didn't skip any school, they let me out at the end of the holidays. I can't remember what the robbers looked like but I told the police that there were six of them, with torches." That would be the Mist making sure he couldn't see their faces clearly along with my dad inventing something to spare him from all the madness. But with his birthday coming up… I saw my dad come down the stairs, probably from his study.

"Are you all right? Abigail, I didn't think you would ever come back and…" He hugged me as well, making me feel even worse for not having called home more often.

"Dad, she was in hospital with a broken leg, not at war dying. Sheesh. How long are you allowed home anyway?" Uh-oh. How was I going to tell them that I was going to return to camp as soon as I killed Cacus?

"Um well, I can't stay very long. The hospital gave me a temporary leave. I might not be around for your big day next week." Dee scowled. It sounded weak even to me. Dad saved me though:

"Why don't you come in? We seem to have a lot to tell each other and you must be tired."


	4. Chap 4: Taking fort

**Taking fort! Finally.**

I snuck out of the house as dawn crept up on the horizon. The lotion would protect me from dawn until dusk so, by striking early, I would have the possibility to retreat and return a few hours later in case of problem. I had spent most of the night making the complex potion and was dead tired. But I couldn't wait until the next day for a night's sleep and support from my pet demon (the lazy devil hadn't returned yet). I needed to strike first; Cacus would quickly find out I was in town from my smell and I had spotted a smoke wolf sniffing the lampposts of my street. I somehow doubt he was sniffing for hotdogs. Back to my assault: I had studied the _Eneid_ in the hope of finding ways to defeat Cacus. I knew that in Greek times, he lived inside a hollowed out hill defended by an indestructible gate, made by his father Hephaestus. I guessed that he was likely to be hiding in the hills, so I started the trek out to "where the Rocky Mountains got lost" as my dad calls them. They're basically a series of hills that get bigger and bigger until the Rocky Mountains themselves. The cave was surprisingly easy to find. I was walking on the paths I'd used a thousand times when I noticed a blurry area on the east side of the dome-like hill. I had never seen it before so I squinted trying to work out what it was, when the Mist parted to reveal a futuristic gate so big that it could have been a castle portcullis. It was completely smooth without a dent. Heck, it didn't even have sign of a nail on it. The horrible thing: there were six alcoves at head height, each with, behind a rounded glass pane, a human head. So the rumors were true. I took a deep breath, readying myself for a fight before realizing the obvious: I had no idea how to get in. Hercules himself had failed to get through the door. He had ripped the mountain top of to get in but I somehow didn't think I would be able to do that. I could summon something to fight instead of me but that would leave the ring without energy which meant no way back to camp. I stayed there for a quarter of an hour, simulating impossible strategies and being paranoid imagining my head on a seventh alcove. When I finally came up with a solution, I nearly hit myself for not thinking of it beforehand. My hands trembling, I took out the bottle holding a West Wind in it and opened it in one shot. The resulting explosion broke the jar, made noise like a gale, and kicked up a mountain of dust which came back at me when the wind recoiled off the cliff face. When the dust settled, I could smell spring in the air but the door was intact. I had sent a small hurricane at it, used up Lou Ellen's wind for nothing and it hadn't moved an inch. I felt like sitting down and crying but I noticed something else. The wind had accelerated erosion on the rock around the now useless wall of metal. There was a thin hole either side of it. Without thinking, I rushed in dagger ready, convinced I could take on the world. I didn't get very far into the cave before screaming.

Looking back, I think I acted stupidly. I ran in without thinking and suddenly found myself surrounded and unable to see anything except for the glowing red eyes of those monsters. About ten smoke-dogs and nearly twenty smoke-cats, hissing and snarling, peered at me through the gloom. When one of the larger ones bit my arm, I panicked. I mean, it was made of smoke so it couldn't bite; it relied entirely on the heat of the embers in its mouth. So the potion protected me and I barely felt anything but I freaked out anyway. There was a sucking noise as the dog was sucked into the bubble of twilight summoned by my ring followed by a breath of air so fresh it made me think of some starry heaven within the claustrophobic cave. I readied my magical energy for a mind glare, ready to hypnotize whatever rabid creature appeared. A young woman stepped from the magical circle into the real world. She was dressed in a light silvery dress over tanned skin, she wore an artistic silver circlet in her long hair and looked as if she was made out of stars. The liquid moonlight came from nowhere yet I could see clearly enough to realize that what I had taken for a cave was actually a mine shaft. The girl didn't even glance at me but swiftly drew her bow. She took aim, her eyes full of what must have been pride or determination. Eight point six seconds later the enemy was disintegrated or fleeing. My new ally continued shooting arrows before trying to get a cat out of a corner. I saw the danger on time. While she had her back turned, a smoke bull silently galloped towards her, hooves touching the ground without weight and without sound. I sent the full blast of my mind-glare at it, stopping it in its tracks. For a second, as I stared at the burning coals of its eyes, I saw myself. I was looking through its eyes. Then there was a flash and I was within a large circular room so tall, I couldn't see the ceiling. Wood shavings on the floor burnt giving off an eerie light. I instinctively knew I was in Cacus's mind, knew that I was about to reach his last defense: a pack of wolves he had made one wintery night to serve as elite guard. Then the girl from the stars shot the bull and the connection broke. The creatures of smoke were only puppets, controlled by Cacus's will.

"If Cacus dies, the smoke things die with him. Oh, and there's a pack of smoke-wolves at the end of the corridor. I'm going to run through them. They can't harm me but I'd like you to cover me. Okay?"

She didn't say anything, only nodded, as if she was used to fighting monsters or taking orders. We jogged down the corridor, bursting out into the central room I had "foreseen". The floor was littered with coals, pet collars and cow bells. I dissolved the few monsters that got in my path with my knife. The rest were too occupied being shot by silver arrows to do anything much. On the whole, I just ran forwards towards the stunted, deformed shape cowering at the other end of the room. My arch-enemy looked like a child with a grotesque bat costume. He had long fangs and tall leathery ears. His pupils were vertical, and his whole body was covered in ash-colored fur. When I was less than ten feet from him, he drew breath and blew giant flames three times his size. They didn't hurt me but I was blinded, slowed and I bumped into him, knocking us over. He made screeching noises, like a mouse. I guessed that if he could talk, he would be saying something along the lines of "_Why aren't you a charred skeleton?_". I held him down on the ground and pushed all distraction from my mind. I forgot the annoying screeching and the furry abnormality trashing under me to focus only on those mutant eyes. Nothing happened. It took me a few precious seconds to realize he was blind. Eye contact hypnotism really was lame. The remaining smoke creatures turned on me. I sent the full blast of my accumulated energy at the first. I struggled to take control of the puppet before realizing that I could go up the string and to the puppeteer. I entered his mind and suddenly I understood what he was saying. I couldn't translate what he was _saying_ but he was _thinking_ it loudly too.

"_Bully, meanie! Go away! Leave me alone…"_ He sounded like a kid on the verge of tears.

"_Call off your servants first. You tried to kill my brother! Don't lie! Show me the truth!"_ He could not disobey a direct order; he was completely in my power. And so, I saw his life flash before my eyes.

**And now for the other side of the story.**

**(Did anyone recognize the Huntress? Yep, Zöe Nightshade can be summoned; if Rick Riordan uses star constellations as monsters, so can I.)**


	5. Chap 5: Through different eyes

Cacus was a child of Hephaestus, god of the forge and fire and a satyr he'd chanced to fancy. The god had been worried when his child could eat nothing but flame and smoke but quickly, Cacus grew fangs which enabled him to turn any living creature into a servile creature of smoke. Thus, he didn't starve, feeding off wild animals. But wherever he went, man eventually came and destroyed the wildlife, his main source of food. Even in Antiquity, the forest was nibbled away by pastures. So, the monster would have no choice but to feed from the invader's cattle or strike back in the hope of scaring them away. It sometimes worked, but other times not. A demigod looking for glory or some mercenary would come and force him to move or else. Others didn't leave him the choice, simply condemning him to a hundred and fifty years in the dark abyss of Tartarus. The memory alone was enough to make him shudder. America was by far the worst. When he had first settled, he had bitten buffaloes for food: they were big, easy to catch and in large number. Barely a century later, they were nearly extinct and then fifty years later, the first cow factories were being built. They polluted the land, killing all the game but, on the bright side, there were so many that no one noticed cattle missing here or there. So, he lived harming no one except cows and the occasional pet. He had kept the smoke copies of the six humans he had killed in the past century as they were very useful for cow-rustling. The first was the builder in charge of flattening the forest for a farm, the second was a mortal who had stumbled across his lair, the third was a hunter well over his hunting quota, and the fourth was already dying from a hiking accident. Five and six had been murdered in cold-blood in an attempt to scare the town off. There was no denying he was a monster and he knew it. When he had suddenly sensed the presence of a demigod, he had panicked, believing he had detected a demigod waiting to kill him. Again. And so, the night of killer doomsday. He had sent his best to fight back but they were obliterated. Two died so quickly, Cacus still didn't know what happened. The rest were destroyed by the Chimera. The stunted creature had believed that I had killed the Chimera and was back to finish the job off. And so he had readied his puppets in defense lest I succeed in getting past the door his father had made for him.

"_So you're just a poor innocent monster that got bad press?_" I asked sarcastically. The answer didn't come back in words but I could sense he wasn't sure himself, or felt it was partly true. Finally,

"_My name is Cacus. Virgil insinuated that made name came from _**κακό **_which is greek for "evil". Why would my parents name me like that? My father was a roman god, my name means "blind" in latin. It's a direct translation."_

"_That is pretty messed up._" I admitted. "_Virgil didn't get much right. You're supposed to be giant. You're smaller than me."_

"_A three-headed giant once tried to steal my door. Biggest victory ever. I turned him into a minion and used him often. I became famous enough to be noticed by Aeneas and later Virgil. Hercules permanently destroyed my best minion."_ I didn't like Hercules for what he had done but I wasn't ready to admit I pitied the creature before me. Mind to mind contact needed a very deep level of connection and required that he remain conscious, not in the subconscious state Lou Ellen had taught me. I placed him in trance before withdrawing from the link in order to shield my thoughts and look around. The wolves were snoring and smoking, harmless. The archer was gone without a trace. I walked home without looking back.

As I reached the door, my mind was still buzzing with indecision. I couldn't leave a monster to prey on the town but nor could I bring myself to do anything about it. My internal debate was cut short by a small but important detail: the door was wide open. I crept in, expecting the worst. Dad was in the hall, a glazed look on his eyes. The worst was in the living room. Prissi stood over an unconscious Dee, blood on her fangs. I did the natural thing: I screamed. Then, I insulted her with every cuss word I knew as I drew my knife. What surprised me (more than my half-sister attacking my brother that is) was that she screamed back. She was somehow frozen in shock or fear. I bonked her on the head.

**Neat role reversal.**

**Linguistically, the stuff about Cacus's name is correct but I obviously invented stuff to portray him as a good guy. I made Cacus nice simply because I find Hercules get so much credit for hitting stuff (alter, sacred grounds and worship from an entire town for centuries for one job) and, as Rick Riordan points out, bringing trouble to the lives of innocent people. **


	6. Chap 6: There and back again

When she returned from whatever dreamland unconscious people go to, Prissi was tied up and faced us. Dee had quickly gotten over the attack and the harsh reality of being a child of Hecate. In fact, I think he was slightly excited too. I was scared of Prissi because she was powerful, deceptive and impossible to beat in the arcane fields. However, I was confident; it was two against one. She could effectively hypnotize one of us at a time but the other would knock her out before any harm was done.

"What…? Abigail? Why did you attack me like that? And why am I tied up?" she groaned.

-We're asking the questions here." I always wanted to say that. "Why did you attack my brother?"

-Is he your brother? I didn't know. What did you expect? Even if I had known it wouldn't have changed anything. I am forced to help and cannot hurt _you_. Mother's protection does not extend to him and he was the only demigod for miles around. I rarely get the occasion to drink from a demigod…" A glint of cruelty shone in her eyes as she finished speaking. How could I not have seen it before?

-Why did you scream earlier? You looked terrified by something." Dee asked calmly. The demon frowned before answering sheepishly,

"I have a phobia of insults. It's common among empousa, so leave me alone. Try and understand me Dee. I have to feed just like Cacus does. You'll just loosen the ropes a bit so I'm comfortable. Of course, I won't hurt you, don't you trust me?" Dee fumbled with the knots before freezing when he heard a loud _thud_. Prissi slumped, dizzy but still conscious.

"What do we do with her?" I asked, disgusted by her. Dee shook his head, as if to shake the drowsiness off.

-Depends. How much energy do have in your ring?"

-Not enough to go there and back. Why?"

-I have an idea. Ever dreamed of having a hypnotized adult as guardian? We're going to need her to get through the airport."

I take back what I said earlier. Mind-glare is cool. Working together we took control of Prissi, who acted as our legal guardian when we booked the ticket. Then, using our powers, we convinced everyone that we had paid first class. From Jackson Hole Airport, we "suggested" to a man getting into his car that he take a detour through Yellowstone. I barely noticed the awe-inspiring scenery as we passed through the Tetons. Finally, as the sun started to set, we found the ideal spot. Far from human eyes, within the pine forest that grew in the hills, where two forest tracks crosses, we drew the circle. The smell of nearby hot springs made the wait for the moon seem even longer. Finally, we poured the ingredients, chanting. The circle drew energy from Prissi but only enough to weaken her; Dee drew his knife and offered a few drops of his blood to the hungry circle. Cacus answered our call and stepped out of the circle, a suitcase under his arm. But more was yet to be done. The circle was made for summoning but a gate worked both ways. Silently, I dropped my ring onto the glowing circle so that it stay stable for a few minutes more. Dragging a now fully aware Prissi, I fell into the abyss…

…and came back out in Cacus's old lair.

"Welcome, sister, to your new prison."

-What?" she asked not understanding.

-Cacus is moving to Yellowstone. Forest fires and buffalo will keep him going and nobody will disturb him. You, however seek to destroy and kill actual people." I explained to her in an accusing tone.

- Abigail doesn't want to send you to Tarturus. Innocent until proven guilty I suppose, especially seen as you are family, in a way." Dee supplied. "So we decided we would put you in quarantine. I'm sure you'll find a way out eventually so it isn't as bad as the alternative."

-Eventually? You underestimate me." She spat at us before turning into a pillar of flame. Seconds later, she reformed. She was on the ground, exhausted from the pointless effort.

-Fool. If you looked around you before resorting to difficult magic, you would notice that Cacus took his door with him." Dee gloated.

-The whole cavern is a giant circle of containment. You can't go over or touch the lines it forms, and magic won't help you out. Only someone on the outside can rub it out or summon you out. Good luck and goodbye." With that, I walked into the shrinking circle, back to Yellowstone.

After a night in the lodge, we would head back to camp. I wasn't sure of the details on how to get back, but I knew that Dee would love it. I too would love it, would be able to look at it in a different way. I wasn't a witch; I was a daughter of Hecate.

**Quest over, Abigail's character has evolved somewhat and everyone's happy. The end. I kept the quest personally important but avoided earthshattering things like a kidnapped goddess and Rick Riordan's important characters to avoid modifying and overusing what doesn't belong to me. **

**I know the whole insult phobia is weird but it's incredibly enough, mythologically accurate. Travelers were warned: if you travel at night an empousa could grab you at the crossroads. If something caught you from behind, insult it, for it would have to let you go. **

**I tried writing other spin-offs but didn't succeed as the characters had a symbolic value to me which overshadowed the actual story. I'll retry Hugo son of Phantasos if I get positive feedback on this one. Prometheus is a lost cause. **


End file.
